Birds of Yosemite National Park (1954, 1963) by Cyril A. Stebbins and Robert C. Stebbins

TITS: Family Paridae

MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE

MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE (Parus gambeli):
5-5 3/4 in. Upper parts gray,
tinged with brown; top of head and
throat black; white line over eye; black
line through eye; cheeks and belly white,
sides tinged with brown. Call a lisping
chick-a-dee-dee or a sweet, clear, high-pitched,
plaintive song, phee-dee-dee, the
first note considerably higher than the
last two. Characteristic of chickadees is
the habit of clinging with head downward
as they forage at the tips of
branches. Nests in natural tree cavities
or abandoned woodpecker holes.

Frequents chiefly open coniferous forests
or the margins of dense stands, in
the high Upper Sonoran to the Hudsonian
life zones. R. chiefly in the Canadian
and Hudsonian life zones in the Yosemite
region but also in the Transition
zone. Seen in Yosemite Valley and occasionally
nests there.

Frequents open woodland, chiefly of
oaks or piñon and juniper. R. largely in
the Upper Sonoran life zone. Occurs at
low elevation in the western part of the
Yosemite region. Rare in Yosemite
Valley.

COMMON BUSHTIT

COMMON BUSHTIT (Psaltriparus
minimus):
4-4 1/2 in. Back light grayish-brown;
top of head brown; under parts
paler; long, slender tail. Call a chattering
tst, tst, as it slips through the brush,
Often hangs head downward as it forages
at the tips of branches. Usually the birds
travel in small flocks. Nest long and
pendant with a small opening at one side
near the place of attachment.

Frequents areas of chaparral or mixed
brush and small trees chiefly in the Upper
Sonoran life zone. Widespread R. but
absent from higher mountains, deserts.
R. at lower elevations in the western
part of the Yosemite region. Has been
seen near Glacier Point and commonly
in Yosemite Valley.